A Redeeming Journey
by Max-0013
Summary: A disgraced champion has to set out on a journey to find his love of being a trainer once again. He is sent to the Sinnoh region to start anew and to try and prove to both the world and himself that he deserves to be the trainer he is supposed to be. Along with a few friends he will do his best to prove his critics wrong. OC


**I have read plenty of fics over the years and I just thought I would give one a try myself. This is an idea I have had in my head for a little while so hopefully I can write it out as well as I have been thinking about it.**

The room was quiet. The curtains had been pulled back so that there was little light even with it being almost noon. The room was small, only enough room for a bed, a chest of drawers and a TV perched on the wall above it. The voices from the TV were starting to get louder though and that seemed to fill the room, even though it wouldn't take much.

"He has to be one of the greatest trainers in history, of that I am certain" the first man proclaimed. Mitch Harris was his name. He was a skilled trainer who had made a recent living off commenting on tournaments for several radio stations.

"That he may be, but that does not excuse his actions" a second replied. This from a woman, she seemed appalled in her words. Annabelle White, a former league official who had been invited on for her knowledge accumulated over the years.

"He needs to be put in check, this cannot carry on if the league wishes to uphold its reputation", another male voice sternly said. Chris Robinson, a well-known battle analyst.

This debate had been going on for some time. The presenter of the talk show seemed to regret bringing up the topic but in reality it couldn't be ignored. Her name was Jenny Miller and she was one of the rising names on TV all around the world. She looked at each member of her panel, trying to come up with some way to move the conversation forward but before she could do so she would be beaten to the opening by one of the three interjecting yet another point. You could see the worry on her face of completely losing control of her own show.

"His dominance has been without question, so I say leave him where he is until someone is good enough to beat him, it should also give younger trainers a bit more motivation to train harder and become stronger to finally dethrone him" Mitch said.

"The way he has treated challengers is appalling, he hardly acknowledges them when they face him nowadays. This is one of the biggest moments in any trainers life and to have him act the way he does really will do nothing except dissuade trainers from taking up the challenge" Chris replied firmly.

"I would have to agree with Chris on that one. Young trainers need an inspiration to go out and give it their all. His level of behavior is not only letting the himself down but all the fans who wish to take up the challenge of becoming a Pokemon trainer" Annabelle said.

"I get what you are saying but the league is supposed to be intimidating to trainers, if it were easy then everyone would challenge it, win and then it would mean nothing" Mitch responded.

"We all understand that point but he at least needs to be put in check, it is unacceptable what he has done lately and even you will agree on that" Chris stated.

Mitch took a moment to reassess his words before being cut off. Jenny had taken her opportunity and had seized it well. If she hadn't the debate could have went on for hours.

"That is sadly all we have time for folks, however we would you give us your thoughts on our topics discussed today, we would love to hear from you and perhaps maybe even your points could make it to the next edition of our show. . Tune in next time to Pokeworld to keep up to date with the latest news and… debates. Until then, from our three guests, from all the team here and from me Jenny Miller, we wish you all the very best"

The theme music then started to play until it was cut short by the click of the remote. The remote was soon thrown against the wall in anger. A man had occupied the room and he had decided he had heard enough from the tv and decided to roll over in his bed pulling the sheets up over his head. The man's name was Daniel Walker.

About an hour or so later Dan was awoken to the vibrations of his Poke gear on the chest of drawers. He decided to ignore it but the constant ringing for a solid 3 minutes made him realize that he had better answer it. He pulled the covers off and proceeded to make his way to his belongings. Alongside his poke gear was his six of his Pokeballs and some clothes that had been worn the day before. He grabbed his poke gear and answered it in an annoyed tone.

"What is it?" he said angrily.

"Mr Walker, my name is Emily… and I am calling on behalf of the league. Your presence is required at once in the main hall so if you would kindly make your way there it would be appreciated" the young woman said, her voice wavering.

"What is this about?" Dan replied unhappy at having to leave.

"They would not say sir, but they said it is of the utmost importance"

"Alright fine" he said as he hung up. He proceeded to get dressed, a pair of jeans and a fine black jumper to match. He pulled out a pair of black sneakers and tied his Pokeballs to his belt. He left his bed unmade and didn't even bother to check his hair before he left. His sandy blonde hair rocking the true bed head fashion it had recently grown accustomed to. Dan grabbed his key card along with some money from the main rooms table and proceeded to exit the apartment.

Indigo Plateau was a beautiful sight on a day like today. The sun was shining and very few small clouds were scattered across the sky. A flock of Pidgey flew overhead and away off into the distance. The fields surrounding the plateau were littered with large areas of flowers, small Pokemon such as Rattata, Nidoran and Oddish ran around playing in and enjoying the nice weather. Dan however didn't care much for the beautiful sight that lay before him. He was annoyed at being summoned and not being given an explanation as to why.

He walked past very few people on his way to the main hall, any he did, he didn't bother to acknowledge with so much as a hello or even a smile. He approached the front door and had to pass through the security checks once he showed his identification. The doors were blocked by several large guards along with some Machamp and Machoke. He sighed at having to wait for security to check his trainer card. Surely they know who he is and screw protocol if it meant he didn't have to wait on the stupid guards to make their mind up about whether or not it was truly him. He didn't understand how every trainer and gym leader who entered had to be checked. Surely some a lot of them were recognizable. I mean come on, how would you not recognize the likes of Clair the dragon gym leader with her big cape on, or even Lt. Surge with his camouflaged colors and huge frame.

Eventually Dan was swiped his trainer card back when it was held back towards him. The security guard apologized for the delay and Dan just walked off without acknowledging him with a response.

Dan walked past the Poke Center area and accompanying Marts. There were small groups of trainers standing outside them but Dan passed no notice of them and continued. He walked down a corridor to the left of the main one and soon he came up on some large doors. Two men stood either side of them and Dan told them he had been summoned. The two men looked at one another and then both nodded, they opened the door to show some men and women gathered around a long oval shaped table. An empty seat was available close at the end closest to the door. A tall man in a suit stood up and ushered Dan to the seat that was free so they could begin. Dan sat down and quickly slumped in his chair.

"So does anyone want to tell me what I was dragged down here for?"

The tall man in the suit spoke up, "Daniel, it has come to our attention that there have been a number of complaints about your actions as of late"

"Like what?" Dan shot back.

"Well, you have been late to scheduled battles, you have been used foul language in interviews, you have refused to show up to press conferences, you have had awful attitudes towards fans who have paid to meet you in our recent meet and greets…" The suited man began to trail off.

"That is only to name a few" A woman in a white dress added in.

"This behavior is unacceptable and therefore action has had to be taken" another man said.

"Are you guys serious? You drag me down here for this crap?" Dan said as he stood up. "I don't have to listen to this" he said as he turned to walk out.

"Don't go anywhere Mr Walker, or these complaints will be the least of your worries" The tall man said sternly. Dan stopped, thought again and let out a sigh, he then went back to his seat.

"Now, we have reviewed your recent activity and realize that it is in the leagues best interests and best image that action be taken against you. We cannot have you dragging this good organization's name through the dirt." The man then said.

Dan just sat looking uninterested with an unhappy look on his face. Why should he have to listen to any of this?

The tall man continued listing out other offences while Dan just sat there. He stood up and was ready to let loose a piece of his mind until the doors behind him opened yet again.

Everyone in the room turned to see who it was. Another man in a suit walked in. "Sorry I am late everyone, I am glad to see you haven't waited to start, best to address this quickly" The man walked up to Dan and gave him an intimidating look. "Sit down Daniel, you will listen to what we have to say"

Daniel couldn't help but drop back into his chair. "Now, let us continue" the new man said. He walked around and stood towards the other end of the table. "Mr Walker, all of your recent activity has been inexcusable and you have not only let down each of us here, you have let yourself down majorly and we together have decided to make a decision to rectify the situation"

He looked around the table at each member in attendance before continuing. "We have decided that it is time that you be stripped of your position as Champion for the foreseeable future"

"WHAT, YOU CAN'T DO THAT" Dan yelled as he stood up.

"Yes we can. We have authority to strip a champion if we feel the need and also have the blessing from 3 previous champions to do so" the man replied.

"That's not fair" Dan yelled back.

"It is fair and you have no one to blame but yourself, this decision is effective immediately and this meeting has only been called in order to break the news to you" the man said. "Now with that said and done, I call this meeting to a close" Each member of the room then stood up and began to leave. Soon the room was empty except for Dan who had since fallen back into his seat in shock. He sat there for what felt like hours in his own mind when in reality only mere minutes had passed. Anger began to take over and soon he got up and stormed out of the room. He had one destination in mind and no one would stop him. He almost knocked over a young couple when running around a corner. He didn't even stop to apologize, he instead continued until he reached the door of an office.

He started banging at the door "Open up!" he yelled to no response. "Ryan, I know you are in there" He yelled angrily until he heard the door open. The same man that had broken the news to him just minutes earlier stood in front of him.

"Well that didn't take you long" he said as Dan pushed past him into the office.

Ryan closed the door only to turn and see a seething Daniel staring back at him.

"You can't do this" Dan said angrily.

"I can do this and you have left me no choice. You cannot get away with what you have been doing and a big change is needed in both your behavior and your attitude towards people"

"Oh ok, mr high and mighty" Dan spat back.

"You see that is what we are talking about" Ryan said while he pointed at Dan. "You cannot expect to get away with all of this without punishment, you can't seriously be that thick to think that all of your actions would go unnoticed or unpunished"

"You have gone too far!" Dan yelled back.

"No we haven't. There were some calls to even get your license revoked. Some punishments were a lot worse than this"

"Who the hell started all of this anyway? Who is it that made a big deal out of my 'behavior'" Dan said sarcastically as he made air quotes for 'behavior'.

"I brought it up"

"Why the hell would you brin-"

"Because you have been like a spoilt brat as of late and its bad enough you bring the name of the Pokemon league into the bad books but you have also brought your own name through the mud too"

"Of course, what I do of course reflects badly on you, always thinking of yourself big bro" Dan said in a mocking tone.

"Not only that but how do you think Mom and Dad have felt watching you. They are ashamed at the man you have become and frankly we have all seen enough. I came up with this solution"

"Oh I am sure you did. How do you call this a solution anyway? Not very many champions have ever had to be removed and when they have, it really ruined their reputations even more so"

"You used to love battling and you used to be such a pleasant young man until you finally got to the top. You are without a doubt one of the best trainers to be champion. Heck you won your title 5-0. Almost never been done before, not to mention you nearly sweeped the entire elite four in the process too"

Dan smirked as he was reminded of his dominance in conquering the elite four. His team was even regarded as one of the best ever. Only regarded behind some of the all time greats. Ryan quickly continued.

"With that in mind, you got there by working hard and by using your heart to battle. You now see battling as a chore and I think it was the worst thing that ever happened to you, becoming champion. When you started out, you loved battling and growing stronger and working hard whereas now you would rather spend your time lounging about in your apartment or doing who knows what in your free time. Think about your Pokemon too. Do you think they are happy here and with you like this? Of course they would have been delighted to win but after everything that has gone on, they need a change as much as you"

"What do you want me to do? There isn't a lot a champion can do. I have to be here to take the stupid challenges which means I cant exactly go off and do anything or enjoy anything properly" Dan said as he looked down towards the ground.

"That's your problem, I think you need a break from being champion. You need to be away from all of this and finding that feeling you once had of being happy"

Ryan walked over and sat behind his desk. Dan followed but sat in a chair in front of him.

"I have made arrangements for you so not to worry. I have been thinking about this for a short time and I believe my idea should work"

"What's your bright idea this time?" Dan said, very little emotion in his voice. The comment about his Pokemon had really gotten to him. There was one thing he did truly care about in life and that was his Pokemon. To think that they were unhappy with him was a thought he didn't even want to consider.

"First off, you are going to send your Pokemon home to mom and dad. They will enjoy the time back home and mom and dad will look after them"

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them"

"What? No! I can't do that!" Dan protested.

"They all love it on the ranch. You know that they will be happier there. Also it works with my plan if they are not with you"

"But they are my Pokemon, I can't just send them away" Dan said, a sad tone in his voice.

"You will see them when you return"

"Return? From where?" Dan asked puzzled.

"You are going to Sinnoh little bro"

"Fat chance, Sinnoh is horribly cold. I am not going there to get my butt frozen off" Dan replied, almost astounded by his brothers suggestion.

"I have bad news bro, you are going and its already been set in motion"

"Screw that. What am I gonna do in Sinnoh that I can't do here anyway?"

"You are going to collect the gym badges and challenge the league but you will only be allowed to do so after you have been reviewed under a committee headed by me"

"So you want me to do the same thing as before?"

"Yes, because that is when I think you were truly at your happiest. I believe if you have something to work for then you will enjoy battling and working again. If you have a goal in front of you, it will make all the difference in your life instead of sitting around day after day"

"Why can't I just bring my own Pokemon and just sweep the region?"

"Because that would defeat the entire purpose. I want you to build a new team and bond with new Pokemon. That way you will properly enjoy your time and it gives you and excuse to work hard at it"

"This is so humiliating though" Dan said as he placed his head in his hands.

"Everyone loves a good comeback story though. If you come back after beating everything the Sinnoh region has to throw at you, you will be a better man for it. You are only 20 years old and you can do so much more with your life than this"

"So what now then? I just make my way to Sinnoh pokemonless and start from there?"

"Not exactly. Follow me" Ryan said as he stood up and ushered Dan to follow him. Dan did so reluctantly but before they made the door, Ryan turned to him.

"No, leave those there" he said pointing at Dan's Pokeballs and then at his desk"

"No, I can't do that" Dan said as he held his hands over them in a sort of protective fashion.

"You can't progress until you do so. Come on!"

Dan slowly and extremely reluctantly reached for his pokeballs and took them off one at a time until he got to one in particular. He stopped and then soon continued. He felt like he was abandoning his family. The ones who meant more to him than almost anything in the world, together they had conquered the johto region and had trained so so hard in order to take the league by storm. Now he was just expected to leave them here.

Ryan noticed Dan's reluctance and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, its ok, I will explain to them all about what is going on. They will be happy to be at the ranch too. You know how they all love it there" Ryan's words did nothing to make the situation any easier on Dan but it did however keep him moving.

The pair left the room and Dan followed Ryan down the intricate hallways of the Indigo Plateau until they eventually came to a room that Dan had never seen before. Ryan waved his pass in front of the lock and the door opened up into a long room. It looked like a storage room of sorts. Perhaps the extra equipment that the marts would sell? Dan really wasn't sure but followed Ryan until they reached the end of the room. On table lay a load of equipment that a regular trainer would need although the clothes were slightly heavier than they would be for either Johto or Kanto. Dan knew that the temperatures of Sinnoh were not going to be something that he would enjoy. Ryan handed all of the equipment and told Dan exactly what was included. All the normal things were included, a tent, sleeping sack and a map. Anything else would be easily bought at a mart if needs be. Dan had plenty of money saved up so it wouldn't be a problem.

Dan swung the bag over his back and again Ryan ushered for him to again follow him. This time he led Dan out and to a room that Dan had seen before but again like the last, he had never entered. In this one was some shelves of Pokeballs all laid out.

"Why are these all here?"

"They are Pokemon who have been taken from the trainers for many reasons, some have been abused, some mistreated and others have been used by those with bad intentions. The league keeps them here until they can be given to other trainers" Dan couldn't believe the amount of them. He was shocked at how many Pokemon had to be taken by the league.

Ryan continued to walk further into the room until he came to a Pokeball he had been looking for. "This is the one" he said as he turned and handed it to Dan.

"What is it?"

"Bring it out and you will see. Please don't rush this though, some of these Pokemon can be very sensitive to new people"

Dan threw the Pokeball out and out popped a little brown ball of fur. The little Pokemon stood in the middle of the floor trying to get to grip with its surroundings until it eyed the two men in front of it. It stood very wary of them and seemed to retreat to the closest corner it could. Dan wasn't sure what to do as he just watched the little Eevee move away from them. Ryan bent down and called out the little Pokemon having outstretched his hand.

"Cmon girl, its me, its Ryan" he said gently. The little Pokemon recognized him after a moment and although still keeping a close eye on Dan, she moved out towards Ryan's hand. Ryan gently pet her head for a moment before turning to Dan.

"This little one was a victim of an abuse case. Her owner was an evil girl who used to treat her horribly. Thankfully though, the case was found out and she was soon brought here. I took an interest in her case a long with a few others but I do my best to help make these guys feel a little better when they get here"

"How could someone abuse their own Pokemon" Dan said, amazed at the thought.

"The world is a horrible place at times bro, some people are just cruel" He continued to pet the little Eevee although it never took its eyes off of Dan.

Ryan noticed this and began to speak to the little brown ball of fur. "This here is my brother, his name is Daniel. Maybe you could get to know him a little bit. He won't hurt you, I swear" Ryan said. He then called for Dan to hold out his hand to her. Dan did so but the little Eevee stood firm in its spot. After what seemed like plenty of debate and plenty of looks towards Ryan, the little Eevee slowly moved towards Dan's hand. Dan began breathing slowly to try and not startle the little Pokemon. The Eevee sniffed at Dan's outstretched hand for a moment before allowing Dan to pet her.

After a few moments, Ryan began to speak to her again. "My brother here is setting off for the Sinnoh region and I think you would be a great addition to his team. I think he will be very good to you and treat you the way you should be treated too" The little Eevee looked up at Ryan, enjoying the petting from Dan.

"What do you say, would you give him a chance to look after you and bring you along? I will be keeping tabs and I will bring you straight back if things aren't going well" Ryan said.

The little Eevee looked down at the ground for the moment before walking away from Dan. She sat in the middle of the floor debating the choice in her head for a moment before she turned back to the two men and nodded.

"Great!" Ryan said. "I think you two will make a great pair for the start of an adventure" Ryan handed the ball to Dan. Ryan was beaming with how well his plan was coming together already.

"Are you sure?" Dan asked the little Eevee and again she took a moment but again nodded. Dan smiled and recalled her.

He hooked the Pokeball to his belt and took a breath before he looked up to see Ryan with a very serious look on his face.

"Now I am telling you this, if I hear that you have mistreated this Pokemon at all I will kill you. This little Eevee has had a very tough life already and it needs someone to care and properly look after her. Don't expect too much from her either. You are used to using Pokemon at a certain level and the Pokemon you will be working with wont be at that level for a long time. So I seriously stress patience too"

Dan for once didn't have a smart reply for his brother. He knew that he was serious and he also knew that he had gone over and above for him in organizing all of this. Although he didn't regret it, he knew that his actions of late were letting people down. Although he was reluctant, he was happy that he now had something to do. If he got sick of it, he could just go home anyway.

Ryan knew that he had gotten his message across to his brother simply by the look on his face so he got Dan to follow him yet again. This time he led him outside and they were walking for a few minutes until they reached the bus station. The two of them were the only ones there while they waited.

"Here is where you will get the bus. It will bring you to Twinleaf town. It will be a long journey so I would advise coming up with a plan on the way there. This will be good for you and I know you will be able to really do well with this"

Dan stayed silent for another moment before speaking up. "You say its long on the bus, exactly how long?"

"I don't know exactly but it will be overnight anyway, you are best starting as quickly as possible. Something tells me that the paparazzi are gonna have a field day when the news breaks" Ryan really wasn't looking forward to all the awkward questions.

"Who the hell are you getting to replace me anyway?"

"We have asked Lance to stand in for now"

"Seriously? Of all people?"

"Yes, anyway, its none of your concern anymore, you just go and become someone I am proud to call my brother again" Ryan said as he looked up to see the bus coming.

Dan grabbed his bag from the seat beside and Ryan handed him his ticket. The last bit had stung and Ryan knew it. Dan didn't say anything as he made his way towards the bus. He did stop though. "One thing, explain to my other Pokemon that I didn't just abandon them, I can't have them thinking that of me"

"I will let them know, don't worry" Ryan said as he smiled back.

Dan reluctantly continued and got seated on the bus. He was one of only 4 passengers so space was not a problem. He looked out the window and caught Ryan's eye one last time before the bus departed. Dan thought to himself how much had changed from the time of him watching that stupid talk show until now. He was still angry but the thing that calmed him down was looking at that Pokeball he had on his belt. He quickly then checked his pokegear to see dates and such for the Sinnoh league. He saw that there was 7 months until the closing date. One thought then paraded through his head, 'We have a lot of work to do'

 **Thank you for making it this far. That is the end of the first chapter guys and that is our main character. More characters will be introduced over the coming chapters but for now that is where we have gotten.**

 **Thank you for reading and should be posting again soon :)**


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